Language and lyrics

Style of language

The language used in the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino is very informal and contains many slang words and incorrect grammar, which is typical of rap music. An example of this is “hunnid bands” as an incorrect spelling of “a hundred bands”. “Bands” means a thousand dollars, referring to the rubber bands that are sometimes used to hold many bills together. 

The choice of words used in the song reflects some of the main themes of the song. For example, words like “guns”, “guerrilla”, and “contraband” bring to mind violence, warfare, and criminal activity. The song also uses words like “party”, “dancing”, “fitted”, or “following list” to highlight the superficial interests of young people in today’s society. 

Meaning of lyrics

Many of the song’ s lyrics seem to criticize aspects of American society, particularly in relation to the rough lives of black people.

The chorus of the song includes the line “Don’t catch you slippin’ now”, which is a warning that black Americans should not get caught by the police. The notion behind this is probably that the (mainly white) police might end up killing the black citizen.

The line “police be trippin’ now” presents the police as crazy. It also brings to mind...